War of Repatriation (1805-1812)
The War of Repatriation was a war fought between the "Royalists", composed of all states north of Virginia, and the "Rebels", all states perpendicular and south of Virginia. The war began over the issue of repatriation of slaves. The Royalists had naval and industrial superiority, as well as a larger population. However, the Rebels had the open support of France as well as the tentative support of England, and the Royalists had a much lower morale. This lower morale was a result of the fact that many in the North were shocked that Bushrod had been repatriating slaves using American dollars and in private. However, both England and France were currently recovering from the Napoleonic Wars, and so refused to intervene unless it seemed like the Rebels were on the front foot. Cause In 1803, King Bushrod began to “repatriate” African-Americans back to Africa. However, the South economically relied on slavery. Bushrod fast-tracked the banning of the importation of slaves from Africa as well, and after 2 years of rising tensions, war finally broke out when it was discovered that Bushrod’s subordinates including Baron Benjamin Franklin and Earl Benjamin Rush had been covertly buying Southern plantations and shipping the slaves back to Africa, establishing in their place new factories and other businesses in what was called the Franklin affair. In order to prevent open warfare, Bushrod attempted to remove the dukeship from several prominent Southern Dukes and protesters against Bushrod's actions, including Henry Lee and Isaac Shelby. Both refused, and in the Meeting of the Dukes it was decided that they would secede from the North. This included along with Kentucky under Shelby and Virginia under Lee, Isaac Sevier as commander of the army of Tennessee, Thomas Pickney as commander of the army of South Carolina, Stephen Heard as general of Georgia, and the Army of North Carolina under William Richardson Davie. This led to the War of Repatriation between the North and the South, which the South eventually won with the help of the English and the French. Bushrod was deposed when the war was lost, and was put under house arrest for the rest of his life. Synopsis Major Battles Battle of Battle of Hampton Roads: Rear Admiral Isaac Preble decisively defeated the 3 frigates and 20 gunboats of the Rebel navy at the Battle of Hampton Roads with his 6 frigates and 13 gunboats, nullifying it as a fighting force for the rest of the war, but was killed in the battle. This defeat meant that that major towns in the South were blockaded for years, and forced Rebel generals to fast-track their military plans. Battle of Dumfries: William Dearborn was appointed Commander of the Maryland-Virginia Theater in 1808 after St. Clair's defeat at Charllotesville. By the end of 1808, General William Dearborn had assembled an army that had grown too large. Feeding and clothing it had become a problem, what with the fact that Rebel guerillas were constantly sabotaging factories and supply lines. By the end of Winter, ten thousand had died, and thousands more were sick and dying. General of the Army of Virginia Henry Lee launched an attack before Winter was quite over, marching his men over a grueling 35 miles of snow over a single week, before smashing Dearborn’s larger army at Dumfries. Overall, over 14,000 men died or were injured at Dumfries, in what was the 3rd bloodiest battle of the war. Henry Lee decided to not pursue the attack, as his army was extremely tired, and doing so would bring them in range of Washington’s artillery defenses. Approx. 7,000 Royalists dead and wounded. 7,000 Rebels dead and wounded. Battle of Annandale: Henry Lee, after waiting a week to reinforce his army after Springfield, launched an incredibly bloody attack on Dearborn's army which had taken up its defence at Annandale, deciding to entirely bypass the well-defended Alexandria. The charge was preceded by a bombard of cannons, many of which had been captured at Springfield and which were crucial in whittling down Dearborn’s defense. After 3 days of battle, the final charge by Lee’s men overran the defenses, and Dearborn’s army retreated further into Washington’s defenses. William Dearborn was sacked and controversially executed, and Alexander Hamilton took his place. This loss convinced the French and later the British to join the war against the Royalists, and after another month Alexandria was taken, making it so that Washington D.C. was now under complete siege. 6,000 Royalists dead and wounded. 2,000 Royalists captured. 10,000 Rebels dead and wounded. Battle of Perryville: Isaac Shelby and John Sevier met William Harrison’s equally-sized army at Perryville. John Adair’s II Corps held the line against Harrison’s assault on the left flank. After 3 days of artillery bombardment, the Royalists again attacked and again were repulsed. John Adair’s counter-attack led to the near-collapse of Harrison’s army and was the last major battle of the Western Theater. Approx. 9,000 Royalists dead and wounded. 4,500 captured. 7,000 Rebels dead and wounded. Battle of Delaware Bay: 5 of the American Navy’s 9 remaining frigates under Admiral Stephen Decatur fought in this battle against 14 French frigates led by Admiral 1 French ship was destroyed and 2 were damaged, and 3 of the 5 American ships were sunk. Approx. 1,000 Royalist soldiers were killed. 450 French soldiers were killed. Siege of Washington After the battle of Annandale, Dearborn's surviving forces retreated into the city of Washington. Battle of Lake Ontario: 3 frigates and 7 gunboats under Admiral Oliver Perry were defeated by 9 British Ships-of-the-Line, opening up the North for invasion from the Great Lakes. Battles of Fort Washington and Alexandria: Led by William Eaton, the loss of the fort constructed by Tadeusz led to complete control by the Rebels over the Potomac. Ramifications King Bushrod was deposed from the throne following the defeat of the Royalists, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. His successor was George Washington Parke Custis. After the War of Repatriation, a House of Lords (composed of Dukes from one of each state and with the power to have a say in the creation of new states as well as approve or disapprove of the king’s wars by majority rule) was established. This made the king much weaker, and was to remain in place until Custis Lee came to the throne and removed it with popular support.